I don't like resolutions. I think they're a recipe for underachieving, failure and disappointment.

I do like setting goals. I think they give you something on which to focus and give you something to work towards.

So, writing-related New Year's resolutions. Or goals. Whatever.

For the most part I met what I had hopd to meet in 2008. Fell a bit short in one area -- finished the young adult fantasy novel I wanted to finish, but failed to begin shopping it, among other minor things -- but for the most part I feel good about 2008.

For 2009 my goals are:

1) Finish refining the YA fantasy based on the reader feedback I've gotten and BEGIN SEARCHING FOR AGENTS. The book needs at least one more pass, but that should not stop me from starting to query.

2) Finish either Hitchcock 2 or my dystopian SF book. Even better, both! Doing at least one is very much well within reach. Doing both is doable, too, but I'd rather keep the goal easily attainable.

3) Write at least 6 new short stories and begin to market them. I'd like to always have a few stories out at any given time.

4) Only one bite on the local history book I wrapped up in January, so get some more queries out there. I sort of forgot about it most of this year and set it aside, but I'd like to at least give this a fair shot with some local publishers before I opt for another route.


Not really a goal, just a thought) I may go ahead and bring together a bunch of short stories from 1998-2008 into a collection and go the self-publishing route -- Lulu, maybe -- if only as a way of putting them behind me. I find I have a hard time letting go of projects, whether writing, music or whatever, unless I package 'em up and stick them out there for the world. One or two are previously published, a few I've shopped around, most others are really just sitting here in the archives. I dunno. Just a stray thought.

So, that's what I hope to get done in 2009.

Anyone else?

1) Set and maintain a writing schedule. There's no reason I shouldn't be able to write at least two hours a day.

I tend to fly by the seat of my pants. That is why I am enjoying these thematic projects as they focus me. So, perhaps, I should challenge myself more with goals and deadlines.
In my more artistic life, I hope to get a studio set up this next year. Sooner rather than later.
In my domestic life, I hope to have a more livable situation.
In my professional life, I need to decide where I am going and either commit or get out.

I resolve to stop reading shitty writing.

Which means that I will no longer be reading anything on the Writers' Block unless it was written by Tuna.

1) Finish writing my musical and get it produced (this one I kind of have to do, as the theatre is already booked and marketing has already begun ...)
2) Finish writing my book and look for a publisher for it

How sweet!

OK, I will sit on your bed again.

That didn't take long.

I'm weak.

One good short story.

Rough outline for novel I want to write, that I'm excited to write.

That's a good year.

A little under a year later, here's how I did:

I did the former and revised the manuscript. Did my research on the latter -- also wrote several drafts of a query letter and two versions of the synopsis, a short version and long version -- but to my disappointment I did not begin the actual querying process. It's in the hands of a proofreader right now, and I plan to begin mailing packages in January. So, a touch late but still relatively on target.

That said, still taking way longer than it should have. Bad on me. I consider this a partial WIN, partial FAIL, leaning towards FAIL because I did not begin to query. Should have been more aggressive, but allowed myself to get consumed by that damn comic anthology.

Well on my way to finishing the dystopian SF by the end of the year. Have about 44 chapters written and expect to finish the first draft around Christmas. Though the first draft is kind of a mess, I'm pleased with the work.

Wrote a full proposal and outline for Hitchcock 2 but stalled at the sample chapter because, frankly, a bit worn out on the subject matter at the moment. A Year Of Hitchcock only just came out in April, and I'm still producing a weekly podcast on Hitchcock's work, so it's still Hitch! Hitch! Hitch! all the time. Feel like I need a break before launching into yet more work on the subject.

Nonetheless, significant progress on both. This is a WIN.

I traded this goal for Pitched!, which was a fair trade, I think. Six new prose short stories traded for nine self-published comic short stories -- actually conceived of and plotted 12, but not all made it to the finish line -- stories which have been purchased and (allegedly) enjoyed by readers? Works for me. I consider this a WIN.

I also got 6 existing short stories in the mail, and one of them was accepted for publication, so though there were no new shorts written (just one partial) I consider this a goal accomplished. WIN.

A WIN on a technicality; spiritually it's a FAIL. I sent out exactly one proposal this year, and that was way back in February. All the others went out late last year. So technically I did get additional queries out there, WIN, but not to my satisfaction, FAIL. I cannot give myself credit for this one.

I suspect the target market for this book is just too small and too niche. Seriously considering self-publishing it next year. I can very easily reach my target market thanks to my day job, which already reaches the exact people to whom this is directed, and from a purely selfish perspective I'd make more money on it that way, too. However, it won't count as a published book as far as I'm concerned, and that's something I'd like to be able to say about this. So I'm torn. Do I say screw it and just get it out there for people to read, or do I continue to seek the validation of a legitimate publisher? Have not decided.

Actually went ahead and edited a bunch of these and started formatting to Lulu specs. Waiting on a proofreader to finish looking them over. Need to go over two or three more one last time, along with a novella that needs a working over before it's ready, and then I may go ahead and do this. I'll likely keep it private, though; just something for me and family and maybe a few select friends. No plans to self-publish a short story collection. Heck, a few of these will continue to look for a home in a legit publication, so self-publishing would be shooting myself in the foot in that regard.

(The title for the printed copy, incidentally, would be The Place of Dreaming and Other Stories, and would contain 15-17 stories.)


Not bad, but I could have done better. I had time to get some agent queries in and I didn't.

Pretty much know my goals for 2010, but will wait until the end of the month to post them.

Well, you got MOST of what you wanted, so sounds like a good year.

This year I wrote that NaNoWriMo project (Which I'm about to begin revising), a novella-length draft before that, a number of essays (most of which have gone up here), and that long pseudo-documentary story about Bigfoot invasions in Arkansas that I had been meaning to write. Plus a couple of fragments that I gave up on after getting blocked. I'd intended to do more but didn't, in part (but not entirely) because of health reasons.

Next year I hope to do more.